Neon Run Cape Town

Officially the biggest festival in South Africa, with thousands attending 5 shows across the country, AV Direct had its chance to shine by providing full technical support for the Cape Town leg of the festival.

The Neon Run is South Africa’s most Electric Night Event, where individuals Run, Cycle, Skate, Walk, Hop or Jump through a colourful 5Km at night covered in neon accessories and body paint. As they race along the neon brick road, fun runners will go through lumo-lit LED Lighting and ‘Glow Zones’ where they are lit up and marvel at the luminescent yellows, pinks and greens. At the finish line there’s a massive music festival, jam packed with top South African acts, and with an entertaining line up that’s bursting at the seams! Read more about this amazing festival and visit Neon Run SA Facebook Page.

We supplied our large outdoor roof structure and stage, with another truss grid system in the middle of the dance floor. These structures were rigged with over 20 UV fixtures and another 24 LED moving head lighting fixtures. Our DB Technologies Line Array system was flown for the main PA system which catered for the 4500 attendees! JBL speakers and Turbosound Milan powered speakers were used as centre array and satellite systems around the grounds. A large NEON sign made with full colour LED strips was rigged to the front of the roof and all band backline and DJ equipment was supplied. Powered with 3 of our silent generators and smaller generators at the glow stations, a fully functional outdoor solution was provided to the client. We’d like to thank Neon Run SA for the amazing organization of the event. We’d also like to thank Marc Berman Photography, Martin Le Grange and Elri Van Der Merwe for the stunning photos!

We Are Africa – Exhibition, Conference and Innovation Awards

AV Direct were proud to be involved in the We Are Africa events for the 2nd year running. We provided all technical requirements for the conference held at the Rotunda Hotel, the exhibition held at Cape Town Stadium and the Innovation Awards held at the Gold Restaurant.

For the conference, we manufactured a custom frame lightbox and covered it with the We Are Africa logo. This design incorporated LED lighting to give the logo a stunning glow! The frame was then attached to our black set surround and made for an elegant backdrop for the presenters.

For the visuals, we installed two large 16/12 projection screens which displayed presentations using our Christie LHD 700 projectors. Coupled with Analog Way’s Pulse switcher, comfort monitors and MicroCue 2 presenter control, the visual system was simply controlled from the presenters fingertips.

Our front of house control consisted of the new Allen & Heath Digital QU16 channel mixer and the Martin Light Jockey system to control lighting. We used the Chauvet Legend 230sr and BriteQ BT91 Wash fixtures to add some beautiful colour and stage lighting to the set. Our new Chauvet Hex 6 LED cans were used to spread ambient lighting around the venue.

Exhibition at Cape Town Stadium

The beautiful exhibition took place at the Cape Town Stadium. We supplied sound equipment through the 3 floors. DJ Loyd was on hand to provide the music, while we provided DJ equipment for the duration of the event. AV Direct also assisted with branding solutions on plinths and podiums.

We Are Africa Innovation Awards at Gold Restaurant

Next up was the Innovation Awards! This prestigious event held to celebrate the best in travel across Africa. We supplied HD projection, stage lighting and branding solutions at the event. You can read more about the Innovation Awards here: https://www.weareafricatravel.com/

Unity Conference at Lagoon Beach Hotel

We were so proud to be awarded the 2015 Unity in Rheumatology Conference, presented by South African Rheumatism and Arthritis Association (SARAA). The 3-day conference held at the Lagoon Beach Hotel, the only hotel in Cape Town with direct beach access, consisted of a main plenary, exhibition area and 4 break-away rooms.

The event would welcome Doctors and Professors from all over the world to the beautiful shores of Cape Town to explore the advancements in this fascinating science. The theme was Unity in Rheumatology and well attended by most of South Africa’s rheumatologists, GPs with an interest in rheumatology, nurses specialising in this field as well as regional rheumatologists.

The conference area was setup for a lovely gala dinner on the second night. A dance floor was brought in and the DJ let the celebrations begin with some great dance music! Conferences are an extremely important sector of AV Direct’s business profile and every effort is made to ensure the smooth running of such events, no matter the size. We use Conference equipment that’s easy to manage and includes the most up to date audio visual equipment.

A Timeless Wedding at Delaire Graff Estate

AV Direct along with Julie Killias Events were awarded the production for this magnificent wedding at Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch. The production would consist of several months of preparation for an event of this magnitude. All technical elements, pre-production of fabrics, sets and entertainment aspects were handled by our staff. Let us take you through the production process step by step!

Pre-production, preparation and site meetings

The planning and pre-production phase for the wedding was the most exhilarating and exciting of the whole function! You can just imagine. Several site meetings had to be conducted for the layout of the land, technical layout of equipment which included the outside ceremony, reception area’s and fireworks display area’s. Security details were confirmed for the international artists performing and with decisive discussions regarding musical equipment and hospitality.

A 3D graph for the entire venue was created and a full 3D video edit of the details for the technical layout was handed to the client.

Innovative Set Design and Preparation

Once the fabric and designs had been chosen for the set and stage backdrops, we went ahead and manufactured over 200m of stage flats and applied the beautiful damask fabric. Below you can see the designs which were chosen to be attached to the sets. These designs were printed on vinyl and applied to a perspex decal which included LED lighting to give a beautiful glow to the set.

The designs were also printed and applied to the dance floor which was constructed using white gloss sheeting.

Logistics and Setup at Venue

Once the stage design and technical layouts had been approved, our team got together to discuss the setup times and logistics for the event. Specifically coordinated by Julie Killas Designs, all suppliers were responsible to adhere to a strict setup schedule. We had 3 large trucks and 2 other vehicles packed and ready to go! The setup took place 5 days before the wedding date to ensure that all procedures and technical aspects of the event were checked, tested and double checked!

For the ceremony and outside areas we setup sound and lighting systems. Carol Thorns performed for guests inside her amazing “Cellosphere”! At the walk-in area we setup sets and added lighting to give off a stunning glow.

The area was also cordoned off for the pyrotechnic equipment which would be used later that night. We setup our generators and equipped power distribution to all area’s including the caterer’s kitchen, ceremony and reception area’s, back-of-house area and artists quarters.

Over one thousand eight hundred shells would be let off during the celebrations! AV Direct took measures to inform security and police of the display which could be seen for miles around the “Helshoogte” mountains!

The setup inside started with the rigging of steels and safety fixtures inside the roof of the marquee. Beautiful chandeliers, flower arrangements, trussing and moving head lights were all installed. The flooring could then be completed with over 150m2 of white tempo-tile flooring and under-flooring used to create a stable foundation for the reception. We then added in the staging requirements and sets. A manufactured DJ booth was used for the event which combined classy damask fabric with a perspex vinyl cut-out of the couple’s initials. This booth was constructed and assembled in-house with LED lighting and DMX controllers attached. The stage was clad with white gloss sheeting and with sets created to neatly house the lighting fixtures around the stage area just looked amazing! To add to the beautiful aesthetics of the venue, we constructed steel pipes to be hung in the ceiling for our LED fixtures. These were neatly covered with draping so that just the lights could be seen. We setup to have a LED light per each table in the venue. You can see the effect created in the pictures below.

View the stunning chandeliers, table arrangements and flowers below:

This image below shows you the powerful difference that subtle lighting can make on the set. On the left you’ll notice white and red lighting, while on the right you’ll see the set light up in a beautiful pink glow! The LED pink comes through far greater on our camera it must be said! haha

Local and international artists were asked to perform at this Wedding and that meant booking the correct back-line equipment for the day. This ensured a seamless transition would take place between the performances. For John Legend, a beautiful baby grand piano was delivered and tuned at the venue. A number of discussions between AV Direct and both the artist’s audio engineers ensured that all technical equipment for the bands were correct.

“A surreal atmosphere swept over the dance floor as award-winning songwriter John Legend walked up on stage! For many it was a massive surprise! He certainly did not let any of his adoring fans down! This was certainly a night to remember!”

The night ended off with some great jazz in the form of UK singer Cole Page (Pictured Above). A funky DJ duo entertained the guests well into the night! It was really a splendid evening and an absolutely magnificent wedding to be a part of! Our client was extremely impressed with the professional technical look and feel of the venue. The entertainment was world class and everything ran so smooth. It was a huge accomplishment for us and inspired our team to be at its best.

Whether you are planning a simple ceremony or a magnificent gala affair, AV Direct’s Wedding Services can help you create the destination wedding of your dreams.

AGSA Studio Shoot 2015

Our set design enhances your message delivery and focus your audience. Our design team can create any environment, from a traditional front facing stage set-up, through to an intimate and engaging interactive catwalk, to ever-changing 3D environments and structures – bringing your events to life.

We were so excited to assist for this event at the Auditor General South Africa offices. The “On The Couch” setup consisted of interviews with the company’s top executives to answer questions from trainees. We created the perfect studio environment for the set, which consisted of white cladded stage, beautifully printed Cape Town backdrop, profile lighting, furniture and led screens with live camera relay.

To create the studio environment, we also supplied “ON AIR” and “AD BREAK” signs to communicate with the audience. A clock timer was used to keep the event running to schedule.

A second platform was created with a white cladded stage and projector screen for live camera relay and video. Our new Canon XA25 HD video camera’s were perfect for the occasion. We also created a set wall using stage flats and our modified lighting brackets to rig LED moving head lights which lit up the set beautifully.

Our client was extremely happy with the end result and the event was a fabulous success! We look forward to assisting AGSA for the future.